As computer use, and particularly the use of the World Wide Web, becomes more and more prevalent, the volumes of data that are available for access using a computer system grow larger and larger. In order for a user to be able to find and make use of particular data, the body of data in which the particular data is contained must be effectively organized.
One way in which a body of data can be organized is by providing a browse graph onto the body of data. A browse graph is a structure, or a “map,” for navigating the information contained in the body of data. A browse graph is made up of nodes between which the user may move to access different portions of the information in the body of data. The user begins at a first node, called a “root node.” At the root node, the user may choose from a number of different categories. By selecting one of these categories, the user moves to a different node, where the user may view a portion of the information in the body of data pertaining to the selected category and/or select from among a new set of categories to move to another node in the graph. In this manner, the user may move from node to node, viewing the information corresponding to each node.
As an example, an online merchant may provide a browse graph onto information on a large number of items that it is offering for sale. In order to find information on Pez candy dispensers for sale using such a browse graph, a user begins at the root node of the browse graph, and there chooses “COLLECTIBLES” from among a list of high-level categories including “ARTS & ANTIQUES,” “BOOKS,” “CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES,” “COINS & STAMPS,” and “COLLECTIBLES,” among others. By choosing the “COLLECTIBLES” category, the user moves to a lower-level node in the graph. There, the user chooses “PEZ” from among a list of lower-level categories that are all subcategories of “COLLECTIBLES,” including “AUTOGRAPHS,” “BOTTLES & CANS,” “LUNCHBOXES,” and “PEZ,” among others. By choosing the “PEZ” category, the user moves to a yet-lower-level node in the graph, where the user can view information on Pez candy dispensers offered for sale by the online merchant.
Such browse graphs, while generally useful, can be disadvantageous when they are poorly adapted to a particular user. For example, where a browse graph locates information that a user is particularly interested in at a level “deep” in the browse graph, thereby requiring a large number of selections to reach the information, that browse graph becomes cumbersome for that user to use. On the other hand, where a browse graph provides access to information that a user does not wish to see or is prohibited from seeing, that browse graph is over-inclusive with respect to that user.
Accordingly, a facility for providing browse graphs that are customized to their users would have significant utility.